Star Wars 1. The Quality of Mercy

**Title:** "Paths of Destiny"

**Spoilers: **Up to and including 'Revenge of the Sith'

**Disclaimer**: Everything is owned by George Lucas and Co.

**Summary: **Do all choices, at a certain point in time, inevitably lead to the same result? If so, what if Mace Windu had listened to Anakin Skywalker and spared Supreme Chancellor Palpatine?

**Author's Notes: **I know that it's been two months since Star Wars, but this plot idea just wouldn't let go. I've finally sat down and gotten this down on paper. I got the idea when I thought I noticed Mace Windu hesitate briefly when Anakin pleads with him to not kill Palpatine. Depending on the reactions from any readers out there will determine if I finish this.

This has not been betaed, and I've tried to look for errors, so please be gentle.

**Read and Review!

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**Chapter One**

Jedi Master Mace Windu is considered the greatest swordsman in all of the Jedi Order, second only to head of that same Order, Master Yoda. In the three years encompassing the duration of the Clone Wars, Mace had traveled the length and breadth of the galaxy in his missions against the Separatist rebels. In that time, he'd seen so much destruction and loss of life; planets destroyed or whole populations wiped out – not to mention the incalculable loss of his fellow Jedi as the led the Clone armies. What did it matter to the rebels if a thousand battle droids were lost, when the result led to the death of several Jedi generals? Droids could be repaired and manufactured; a Jedi took almost a generation to come into his or her own. What was considered a fair trade for one side was a grievous loss to the other.

Mace had lost count as to the number of friends he'd lost during the war. But even as the ranks of the Jedi had dwindled, he'd still believed that the war was necessary in order to preserve a Republic that had stood for thousands of years. It had also been believed that the highest ideals of the Republic were personified in none other than the leader of that same institution – Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.

Yes, there was corruption in the Senate and more and more power was being legislated into the Chancellor's hands, but it had been argued – and supported by the general public – that in order to stave off the inherent bureaucracy in the system, decisions had to be made quickly in order to effectively fight the war. It was the only system they had, and Jedi were not about to endorse the kind of government proposed by the Trade Federation, Intergalactic Banking Clan and least of all, Count Dooku.

The only hope any of them had was to end the war as quickly as possible. Only then would the Supreme Chancellor release his emergency powers and return them to the Senate. It had been the one hope Mace had left in his faith in the Republic.

Who knew, however, that just as the war had come to an end, just as Master Obi-Wan Kenobi had delivered the killing blow to the droid General Grievous (and thereby destroying the bulk of the Separatist Droid Army), that hope had been only been for a hideous lie:

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the one perceived by the entirety of the Republic as the protector of democracy…was, in truth, the Sith Lord the Jedi had been hunting for thirteen years since the death of Qui-Gon Jinn.

Mace had looked deeply into the eyes of the one man who told him this startling revelation. There he had found fear, anguish, torment, betrayal…but no falsehood.

Even when confronted with the horror of the truth, Mace still had not immediately believed it. But with that last bit of information, however, everything had made a sickening form a sense: the threat from the Separatists, the creation of the clone army, even the Clone War itself – all of it made possible by Palpatine (no, S_idious_) and Count Dooku orchestrating the war, extending the it for as long as possible.

Time had been against them. If the revelation of Palpatine as the Sith Lord had been allowed to go ahead unfettered, it could only have meant the information was no longer considered important or dangerous to him. Mace would have been damned if he didn't at least try to bring the man down. Masters Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar and Saese Tinn had all joined Mace as they flew to the Chancellor's Palace.

What Mace had not fully comprehended was how deep-seated and powerful the dark side could be. He and the others had surrounded Palpatine, lightsabers out and at the ready. In the span of mere seconds, however, all the masters had been slaughtered with only Mace to fight off the Chancellor who had suddenly produced a lightsaber of his own!

The Chancellor was unlike any opponent Mace had ever fought, organic or otherwise. Although fierce and short, the battle had ended with Palpatine disarmed and lying on the floor. Before Mace could have done anything else, he had been suddenly enveloped in torrential lightning fueled by fury and savagery. Without thinking, he had slowly, painfully, redirected it back at the source. Before his eyes, Palpatine's skin had burned to ashen grey, his eyes had turned a sickly yellow and his voice had been reduced to a harsh whisper.

Just as quickly as it had started, the Force Lightning faded away, leaving a whimpering Palpatine begging for mercy and help. Throughout the Clone Wars, Mace Windu had had to kill the enemy when there was no other recourse. Each death, however, had touched him deeply since he could feel it resonate in the Force. Now, here, with his lightsaber mere centimeters from the throat of the man who had orchestrated so much misery and devastation, Mace felt something he would never have admitted to: he relished the thought of this one _justifiable_ death by his own hand.

"I'm going to end this, once and for all!" Mace said, his eyes blazing. And he would have struck the killing blow – had not a certain Jedi Knight spoken up at that exact same moment.

"You can't," Anakin Skywalker said. "He must stand trial."

Mace's gaze flickered over to catch Skywalker standing close by. He felt somewhat relieved that another Jedi had arrived, yet extremely annoyed that Anakin had not heeded his command to stay back at the Temple. He frowned at the almost pleading look Skywalker gave him. He knew Palpatine had been something of a mentor to the young man – how else could he have received a seat on the Jedi Council? – but couldn't he see how dangerous the man was? Didn't he trust his own eyes to what they just witnessed with the attack on him just a few moments ago?

"Anakin, a trial would be a farce," Mace said. "He's placed his own people in the courts and has an overwhelming majority in the Senate - he has total control of both!"

Palpatine continued moaning and mewling. Although not quite disregarding the humming saber so close to his throat, his eyes slid calculatingly from Windu to Skywalker.

Mace turned back to Palpatine, disregarding Skywalker's entreaties. All that the Jedi Master could see were all the worlds that this war had taken place on in his mind: Geonosis, Cato Neimodia, Raxus Prime, Kamino, Naboo, Haruun Kal, Praesitlyn, Jabiim and so many others. In his mind's eye, he could see these fields of battle filled with the wrecks of innumerable battle droids, ships, cruisers as well as the dead and dying clone troops grown for the express purpose of fighting them. Worst of all, he could see the faces of all the Jedi lost in the war: fellow masters, padawans he once taught, Knights he could call friends. All gone.

No more.

Without the slightest hesitation, he brought his arm back ready to strike the blow at the monster before his feet…but then Anakin Skywalker had to speak the one phrase that cut through Mace's resolve:

"It's not the Jedi way!"

Almost on its own, Mace's arm just hung there on those very words. An incredulous look flicked through his eyes as, unbidden, those very same Jedi he remembered could be seen all looking right at him. Would any of them truly want him to exact revenge for their sakes? But this was a Dark Lord of the Sith! he thought. And yet, the faces seemed to convey, aren't Jedi supposed to revere all life, including that of a Sith Lord? From the beginning, Mace had never put much trust in the prophecy of the 'Chosen One', but perhaps…just perhaps Anakin's role was simply to point out to Mace what a Jedi should be like. The Jedi were never an 'eye for an eye' in terms of ideals, and the Jedi Master was not about to start now.

A small sliver of shame cut through Mace's determination and he sighed.

Off to a side, Anakin could only stare in horror as Mace's lightsaber had pulled back to strike at the one man who had information vital to him. His hand slid to his own saber.

_Please don't make me do this!_

As he stood there, Skywalker could see resolve, confusion, and then finally a reluctant acceptance flash through Master Windu's face all in the span of a second. Although the saber moved not a jot, he could see Mace take a deep breath.

"You're right, Anakin," Windu said grudgingly. "It's _not_ the Jedi way." Still staring at Palpatine, he rifled through his robes.

"What are you doing?" asked Anakin. A small comlink was taken out and activated.

"The only thing I _can_ do," Windu said and spoke into it.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Master Shaak Ti stood just inside the main hangar bay of the Jedi Temple trying hard to school the agitation the currently permeated her ochre and white face. Only her ornate lekku gave any sign to her nervousness. Just over an hour ago, she'd been told by Master Mace Windu to stay behind and secure the Temple. He gave no immediate reason but simply told her that the actions tonight of he and the masters with him would tell if the Jedi were to survive. True to her word, Master Ti ordered the immediate closing of all entrances to the Temple and all available masters sent to key points in the building. All Knights were told to be on alert, even Padawans were given live lightsabers. Then they all waited.

During the interim, Master Ti attempted to meditate to on the Force, hoping it could illuminate some path to what was going on. However, even now the shroud of the dark side made it harder and harder for the Jedi to sense anything. It had only been after half an hour had passed since the masters had left that Shaak Ti felt an almost sudden upsurge in the Force. So powerful and abrupt it had been that Master Ti gasped and had nearly fallen over from her meditation mat. When she had recovered herself, she had found out that others had felt the same outburst as well, and all from the same direction: the Supreme Chancellor's palace.

She had been sorely tempted to break radio silence and find out what had happened, but Master Windu's instructions were clear.

Several moments ago, her relief had been palatable when she received a coded transmission from Master Windu. The message had been curt and to the point: an aircar was to be sent to the main window of the Chancellor's office and all clone troops were to leave the Temple. Confused, Shaak Ti had the order forwarded.

Now, in the completely empty hangar, Shaak Ti could see the aircar coming in for a landing. It landed on the extended platform, which, soon thereafter, slid back into the main structure, the main hangar door sliding behind it.

Master Ti walked up to the car, surprised to see an ashen Anakin Skywalker step out. Her surprise grew tenfold when what looked like the Supreme Chancellor coming out as well…but with Mace Windu's lightsaber hovering dangerously close to the other man's throat.

"Master Windu, what is – " but she stopped suddenly and couldn't suppress a slight gasp as she took a closer look at Palpatine. A horribly scarred face regarded her impassively. Grey, almost burned looking skin looked to be sagging, especially under the eyes whose yellow (almost golden) tinge gave Ti and almost involuntary shudder. But what was most astonishing of all was the sheer amount of dark side energy that literally pulsed from this individual.

_What _was going on?

She looked to Mace for some form of explanation, but all she received was a quick look that said, _Not here_. Gesturing with his weapon, he led the man out of the hangar and deeper into the Temple. They took routes that made it possible to avoid any other Jedi who might be curious. Finally, they all arrived to one of many interrogation rooms the Order had set up since the beginning of the war. Mace keyed in a code and a door opened. A large, square table with a chair could be seen inside the white-walled room. Built into the table were several slots next to each side of the table. Anakin couldn't help noticing that they looked almost like the same ones that held the Chancellor in General Grevious' ship. Palpatine docilely sat in one chair and placed his wrists into the slots. Instantly, energy crackled and his arms were now stuck to the table.

Mace waited several moments, to watch for any duplicity on Palpatine's part. However, the man simply looked at all persons in the room and actually sat back in the chair, as if he were enjoying himself for the long haul. Not quite satisfied with the arrangement, Windu led all out. When the door closed behind him, he turned towards his fellow council member.

"Get every available master and have them meet me here in 15 minutes."

Once Master Ti left, Mace turned an inscrutable eye towards Skywalker. It didn't take a Jedi to see the young man thoroughly shaken.

"Anakin, go to the council chambers and stay there until I show."

"But, Master – "

"Now."

Anakin swallowed under the unbending gaze of the Jedi Master. Without another word, he went to the nearest turbolift and headed up. One thing nagged at Anakin's mind as he rode it all the way up the tallest tower in the Temple: Palpatine was now a helpless prisoner in the Jedi Temple, surrounded by every available Jedi on Coruscant – the absolute last place a Sith Lord would want to be.

Why, then, just before leaving…did Anakin catch a look of triumph in the Chancellor's eye?

-Continued-


	2. To Interrogate a Sith Lord

**A/N**: My thanks to Alice (glad you liked the tie-in, it did make sense, didn't it?) for reading this over as well as credit has to go to Jurious for the quote given by Palpatine in this chapter on how he came to power. Thanks to you both!

I'm hoping Shaak Ti doesn't come across as too out of character. I think any Jedi would be hard pressed to keep calm, but she, especially did a lot in the defense of the Chancellor, so she's allowed to vent a little.

There are mild references to The Phantom Menace, The Clone Wars Cartoon Series and a certain video game.

Mace and Shaak Ti confront Palpatine.

Any comments or constructive criticism, please review then.

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Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, settled himself back in the interrogation chair, waiting for the drama around him to unfold. The room he'd been held in was Spartan, with a single one-way transparisteel mirror taking a good portion of the opposite wall from where he sat. This…was an unexpected – though possibly advantageous – turn of events. He thought he'd calculated every possible outcome when he revealed himself to young Skywalker. He'd anticipated the arrival of the Jedi, had thoroughly enjoyed liquidating several of them, and had drawn out the fight with Mace Windu long enough for the arrival of 'the Chosen One.' Yes, he'd known the young man would come and he'd have to make a decision as to where his loyalties were: to the Jedi, or to the one who could help him the most. He'd felt a surge of triumph when he caught Anakin's hand sliding towards his lightsaber – he'd known then and there that all the years of planning and secrecy were coming to an end. 

What he had not counted on, however, was Skywalker's powers of persuasion – or should he say, Master Windu's capacity for mercy. It had momentarily surprised him that the Jedi Master would go so far as to spare him. He had also caught the same look on Anakin, as well as something like relief. Skywalker had still needed him, had still hungered for his knowledge on how to stave off death. He was momentarily uncertain, and almost took it as a way to lower whatever defenses he had left. Before attempting anything, he could hear the Force whisper to him, telling him that this was all but a detour to his plans.

Palpatine had said not a word as they all waited until the aircar Windu had called for arrive right outside his window. They had all ridden in silence towards their destination. Even with a sizzling lightsaber so close to his person, Palpatine hadn't been able to suppress a surge of excitement as he had watched the Jedi Temple, symbol of everything his Order had despised. As Supreme Chancellor, he had in the past visited many times – he had just never thought he would be arriving at the Temple to be incarcerated.

As they approached, the beginnings of a new plan began to coldly unfold in Palpatine's mind. The Sith Order had survived one thousand years of hiding from the Jedi. One reason for this was the ability to plan for nearly all possible contingencies. Even a Sith would have to admit that there was no such thing as a 'perfect plan', but sometimes opportunities arose that, if played right, could reap far greater benefits than had originally been planned for. Already, the first steps had already been taken. There was, Palpatine thought, certain definite advantages to being the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Everything had still hinged on one person – one who just might need some added encouragement.

Sidious smiled thinly, regarded the mirror before him in the interrogation room and waited for his Jedi 'captors' to make the next move.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Mace Windu stared through the one-way partition at the member of an order that, before ten years ago, had once been considered extinct. The thought that the head of the entire Republic – and before that a Senator of Naboo – had been able to achieve such power right under the collective noses of the entire Jedi Order was too staggering to comprehend. A small voice in his head wondered that if Palpatine had been able to keep his powers hidden for so long, especially in front of the Jedi's best, Master Yoda, what did that say as to the power he truly wielded? Mace shook his head from such dark thoughts, though he couldn't help a nagging feeling that sparing the Sith Lord might not been the right thing to do.

Turning back, he faced all the remaining masters available in the Temple who stood around him in a side room next to the interrogation area. To his right was the Jedi sword master and instructor Cin Drallig, whose deep blue eyes, set in a thin face and framed by long silver hair, gazed out at the prisoner. Although not a member, his proficiency with a lightsaber was on par with almost everyone on the Jedi Council. Taught by Master Yoda, and then having taught Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Drallig's perspective would be much needed by Mace. Next to the instructor, stood the Chief Librarian, Jocasta Nu. Having once served on the Council for ten years, she'd only taken up the mantle of Librarian for the Jedi Archives just some years before the Clone Wars. She now simply stood with her arms crossed and staring out at Palpatine with a keen look in her eye. Lastly, Shaak Ti stood to Mace's left. Having recently recovered from her injuries from her role in the Battle of Coruscant, Ti now looked on edge as she stared, tight-lipped past the mirror at the occupant sitting in the interrogation room. For his part, Mace wished there were more masters around, but at the time that the Clone Wars 'ended', Jedi were still far-flung across the galaxy finishing off battles with their respective clone armies.

"It's simply incredible," Cin Drallig said with a shake of his head. "Even now I find it hard to believe: the Supreme Chancellor…a Sith Lord?"

"Trust me, I almost didn't survive my encounter with him," Mace said, the deaths of the other master's still fresh in his mind.

Jocasta Nu, ever the seeker of knowledge, said, "To think what he must know…after a thousand years of secrecy…imagine the Archives _his_ Order must have?"

"With respect," Mace started, "but I have more pressing issues: Does he have another apprentice somewhere or what were his plans once the war had ended?"

"Why didn't you," Shaak Ti asked quietly, "kill him, I mean?"

Everyone looked at Master Ti, Mace especially catching something in her voice.

"Skywalker…made an irrefutable argument," Windu replied.

Master Ti blinked. "Argument?" she repeated hollowly. "Master Windu, I fought against General Grievous on Hypori and then just recently here on Coruscant. Do you want to know what the Chancellor was doing during the Separatist attack and just before Grievous attempted to kidnap him? Do you?" She turned and looked each and every one of the Jedi around her, her dark eyes flashing.

"The leader of the Republic was doing nothing more…than drinking tea, while mere miles away hundreds of clones and many Jedi were dying to keep the hordes of battle droids at bay. I and two other Jedi fled all across this planet, while protecting that man," – she pointed out the mirror – "and trying to flee the droid general and his bodyguards. I would have laid my life down for him and now I can't help thinking that throughout the entire…_joke_ of a rescue, we were being laughed at." The Jedi Master's tone was quiet, almost casual, but none around her could mistake the sheer frustration in her profound statement. If not by her words, some could tell by her lekku twitching in anger. "How many times have we or the entire Jedi Council stood before Palpatine, not once having the slightest inkling as to what he was and following his orders, sending many of us to our deaths while thinking we were doing something in the name of the Republic?" Shaak Ti shook her head and stared out at Palpatine. "It may be that you have done more harm than good by letting him live, Master Windu."

No one said anything since, deep down, he or she felt something similar. Mace gently placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Shaak Ti, we have all lost something and someone during this war and there are none alive who can say that this conflict has left them unscathed. None feels it more – with the exception of Master Yoda – than I. Palpatine stood only feet away from me when we all paid our respects to Master Jinn when he fell to the Sith back on Naboo – I even remember specifically asking Yoda who had been destroyed: the master or the apprentice? Also, we were all there, three years ago, when we told the Chancellor that we were servants of the peace, not soldiers. Even Yoda could not see if it would come to war, due to the clouding of the dark side." Mace sighed. "Who knew the source of it all was the man before us?"

Shaak Ti brought a hand up and squeezed Mace's, then she turned her orange and beige colored face to face him.

"I'm sorry, Master Windu, I let my emotions control me for a moment."

Mace shook his head, a tired smile gracing his features. "No apologies are needed. Considering what we've all just found out, I think even Yoda would excuse a lapse in control. Now then," he said looking around at the others, "what are we to do, now?" All four once again regarded the man seated quietly in the table.

Cin Drallig shook his head, his waist long hair moving slightly. "The question is: what _can_ we do? We don't have a full Council available. Master Kenobi is mopping up on Utapau and Master Yoda is still on Kashyyyk, to name a few."

"Have you tried contacting them?" Mace asked.

"We've tried, but for some reason nothing is getting through."

Mace frowned. He didn't like the idea of the Temple being cut off from the rest of the Jedi. It was possible that the Separatists were at fault, but then again…

"There is, if memory serves, a precedent to this," Jocasta Nu slowly ventured. "There are references in the Archives of the Jedi Council capturing a Sith Lord some four thousand years ago during the Jedi Civil War. Although close to death, she was revived and her memory was readjusted and given a completely new personality so that she could help the Jedi of the time to find and defeat her apprentice."

"Such techniques have not been done for hundreds of years," Master Ti said. "And even if we wanted to attempt it, we could not since we would need the combined talents of all Council members."

Chief Librarian Nu simply gave a small shrug. It was her duty to provide information; it fell onto others to do with it as they will.

Master Windu straightened. "Get to the communication center and keep trying to contact Master Yoda," he said, looking at Master Drallig. "Master Nu, please awaken and gather all the younglings at a place of your choosing. I would not be surprised if one or all may start sensing what we may be holding here. The last thing we need is confusion or panic. Go."

Both masters left and Mace then turned to Master Ti, whose eyes flickered from Palpatine to him.

"You're going to question him," she said quietly.

Mace nodded. "I was going to go alone, but after what I remember back at his office, I'd like you as backup. Masters Drallig and Nu have no battle experience outside of their fields, but you, among other things, have survived two encounters with General Grievous."

"Barely," Master Ti said in a self-effacing tone.

Mace gave a tight-lipped smile, but quickly turned solemn. "I need you focused, Ti. We may be talking with the last living member of the Sith, but that makes him no less powerful. Are you ready?"

Shaak Ti took a deep breath and nodded. Satisfied, Mace turned and punched a key code next to a door, which opened. Both walked into the room.

Mace entered quietly. Both he and Shaak Ti noticed that Palpatine paid neither any mind as his eyes were closed, almost as if he were in a state of deep meditation. Only when Mace pulled a chair noisily away from the table, did the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic open his eyes. He looked across at the seated master as well as Shaak Ti standing behind and to the left of Windu.

Master Ti couldn't quite suppress a wave of revulsion as she watched those eyes look over and through her. Standing so close to this man, she still couldn't stifle a slight thrill of anger when she remembered how she'd sent her fellow Jedi away with Palpatine as she held off scores of Grievous' personal bodyguards. The Chancellor had even gone so far to say that her sacrifice would never be forgotten and that she would be remembered in the Jedi Archives. She shook herself mentally, once again reminding herself that Palpatine had, up until now, all of them fooled.

As if reading the Jedi Master's mind, Palpatine face broke out into a smile – a smile that may have once been charming and guileless, but was now a sickening parody of its former self.

"Master Windu," he said, with a regal nod, "and Master Shaak Ti. How are you, my dear? Hopefully all recovered from your injuries received during our…'flight' across the planet?"

Yes, he did know which buttons to press. Shaak Ti said nothing, keeping her face impassive.

Palpatine glanced down at the force binders. "I must admit, though, to feeling somewhat reminiscent given my current circumstances. Although, I do confess," – he glanced around at the room – "that the view was far more interesting on General Grievous' ship."

Mace laced his fingers before him and leaned forward. "Your comfort should be the least of your worries, _my lord."_ Windu couldn't help making a scornful emphasis on the Sith's title. "We need to know which senators you have influence over? Also…is there another apprentice out there?"

"Ah," Palpatine drew out that one syllable. "So, it's to be an interrogation, is it? Please excuse my memory, but I was under the impression that under the Articles of the Constitution, kidnapping a Republic official – let alone the Supreme Chancellor – is a capital crime?"

Mace's eyes narrowed. "You are not the Chancellor, you are a Sith Lord. Your very existence is to corrupt and ultimately topple the Republic."

Palpatine blinked at this statement and then he, after a moment and quite unexpectedly, began to chuckle.

"Oh, Master Windu, I had no idea you had such a developed sense of humor." He chuckled for a few moments longer until he shook his head at the two Jedi. "Do you truly believe that the Sith are completely responsible for the state of corruption in the Republic? Although flattering, you attribute far too much to the Order. The Galactic Republic has been in a downward spiral for the last thousand or so years." Palpatine's eyes flashed. "The Jedi were just too blind to see it. I, on the other hand, came along to speed up the process to mitigate as much of the damage as possible."

"Mitigate the damage?" Master Ti repeated incredulously. "This war has touched millions of lives, scores of worlds – and you have the nerve to say it's helping the Republic?"

Palpatine looked up at the Togruta Jedi Master and adopted a tone of someone talking to a slow-learning child. "As I have said, the Republic is far beyond help. Within a few years, or perhaps a hundred, a war would have inevitably occurred. As to your other statement: With all due respect, I would have to argue that I am, indeed, the Supreme Chancellor. We are, of course, a democracy and I was elected into office. If there is anyone to truly blame for me as well as the political situation – " He negligently waved his hand, indicating the world at large, or more to the point, the public.

"Is there another apprentice?" Windu said, not liking the tangent the conversation had taken.

Palpatine looked to consider the question, and then said, "Dooku was the last." He then smiled and shook his head. "He played his part so well – unwittingly, actually. So easy to turn and just as easy to discard. You should have seen the look on his face just before he died."

Mace had to consciously keep his fist from clenching. Before Dooku had left the order, Mace had admired and respected the elder Jedi Master. While he had never truly seen eye to eye with Dooku, even after he left the Order, it had still shocked Mace to see his fall to the dark side. But what made him almost pity the man was that while Dooku may have thought he was to be part of some new order, he'd never known that he was simply being manipulated all along.

"What was to happen once the war ended?" Mace asked suddenly.

Palpatine smiled at the question. "Ah, now that is a question I'm afraid I cannot answer."

"Can't or won't?"

The Chancellor shrugged. "The answer would not do you much good, and I highly doubt you will stoop so low as to torture me, since that as well is forbidden by Republic law." He stopped and smiled his goading smile once more. "Unless you plan on using a droid so as to not soil those sanctimonious robes of yours?"

Mace narrowed his eyes. Even if he wanted to entertain such a…barbaric idea, his only recourse with such a creature before him would be to use techniques involving the Force. Again, however, if Palpatine could have stood in plain sight in front of the entire Jedi Council with no one the wiser, then his powers of deceit and obfuscation might just be on par to challenge their greatest.

Abruptly, Mace stood and beckoned Shaak Ti to follow. Once the door slid behind him he said, "Keep an eye on him and don't leave for any reason."

Master Ti nodded. "What will you do?"

"There's one more person I need to talk to before I decide anything with regards to Palpatine," Mace said grimly, before turning and heading for the nearest turbolift.

**-Continued-**


	3. Trust and Repercussions

**Author's notes:** Some more introspection, with a hopeful buildup in the end. I apologize for not responding to the reviews left behind on the previous two chapters. I think if people are willing to take the time to leave reviews, I, as the author, should take the time to acknowledge them.

Once again, my thanks to Alice for her beta skills.

To all those who reviewed:

**0AnakinSolo0** - I'm glad you like it so far.

**MatrixSailorStarKnight** – Interesting for now, hopefully you'll like the next chapter.

**Nicole** – I'm writing as fast as I can. ;-)

**Mr. Firenze** – Thank you. I'm hoping what you read next will also grab you.

**Shorty51** – It would have been nice to see this in the film as well, but Lucas only had two and a half hours to work with. Still, this is what fan fiction is for, isn't it?

**Alice** – Well, if you're curious, then I must be doing something right. Typo? Where? Yes, writing Palpatine as 'smarmy' was hard. And my thanks on the thoughtful review you left.

**Tim Knipsel** – Thank you very much. I'm glad you're liking it. I look forward to read what you think of the other chapters.

**Philstar22** – Glad you like it. I know where I'm going with this story, it's filling in between here and there that's hard.

**BGTom** – Oh, yeah. You'd better believe Anakin will try and explain to Windu.

**Reviewer** – well, they **are** both Sith Lords, though KOTOR is one of my favorite all-time games I wanted to make some little connection. I do hope you like it?

**Trinity Day** – AU can be really fun, as long as it makes sense. I also wanted to see more Jedi in the movies, and I don't mean the quick ones we see dying. You'll see some more, but I'm trying to just focus on the ones I've introduced so far.

**Worker72** – Thank you for your praise. I can only hope future chapter will live up to that.

**LL** – Oh, I think this chapter will begin to answer what Palpatine at least has up his sleeve. Trying to really portray a character in any story…that's really hard.

**Fell Dragon** – (in Yoda voice) Continue this I will! ;-)

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**Chapter Three**

_"Padme…save your strength…"_

_"I can't…I…"_

_"Padme, stay with me…Padme? – Padme!"_

Anakin's eyes snapped open.

They darted here and there until he took in the large circular area of the council chambers, his hearing deafened by the roar of his heartbeat. With a shuddering sigh, Anakin sat back in his council seat and brought a trembling hand to his face. He glanced down in dismay to see his mechanical hand gripping the side of his chair so hard he'd punctured holes through the fabric. Anakin felt vaguely thankful that he hadn't gripped his other hand during the vision.

That last one had been the worst of the lot, thought Anakin wearily. The visions had been growing in intensity with the one he'd just experienced clearly leaving him close to a blind panic. He ground his teeth in frustration; were these revelations of what could be, or what will be? His track record for visions had been (distressingly) one for one so far; he still had nightmares of his mother dying in his arms – as well as the slaughter he'd caused to those who kidnapped and tortured her. Could he help it if, with these new visions, he thought he'd have to do something – _anything_ to save his wife as she got closer and closer to childbirth? His desperation was compounded with the fact that the visions always stopped short of the birth itself – he couldn't tell if his child lived or not.

Unable to remain seated, the young Jedi rose and wandered over to the window facing the direction where he could see the Senatorial apartments. Night had fallen fully on this part of Coruscant, and although he couldn't see the apartment he and Padme shared, he could somehow feel that his wife was still awake – perhaps even gazing at the Temple. Had it been, he thought, only a few hours ago when he'd stood here, again on Master Windu's orders, and stared out onto the cityscape and wondering about his wife?

Padme was everything to him – he just couldn't imagine life without her. After his mother's death, he'd gone on an insane rampage through the Tusken camp. Warriors, women, and children alike had all died horribly by his hand that night. Unconsciously, he glanced down at his mechanical hand as he flexed it. How far could his despair go – how far could his fury take him – if he lost his wife and child as well?

It couldn't be said he hadn't tried getting help though normal channels. He'd talked to Master Yoda, surely the most knowledgeable of all the Jedi. But the only 'wisdom' he'd given Anakin was not to despair and that death was a 'natural part of life.' Anakin rolled his eyes in contempt. As if Master Yoda hadn't heard him when he'd said that he wouldn't allow those visions to pass. If that was the best that 900 years of Jedi training could do, then Master Yoda could keep it.

Then, almost out of nowhere, he'd felt the first true sign of hope. Chancellor Palpatine himself had hinted that there were powers in the Force beyond the ken of even the Jedi, powers great enough to save Padme. That new hope, however, came at a startling price: Palpatine had later revealed himself as the Sith Lord everyone had been searching for. He could still see his lightsaber pointed at the back of the Chancellor, who had calmly stood there, not even raising a finger in his defense. And yet, even with fury burning his blood, Anakin's saber had not moved a centimeter. Behind his wrath, he had seen the face of Padme smiling at him and holding their baby in her arms. Along with that feeling was also one of confusion towards the Chancellor: here was a man that, although not quite a father figure, was most certainly a mentor, one who had certainly looked out for him. Anakin had lost count as to the number of times he and Palpatine had talked, with the Chancellor always listening attentively or giving out advice not tied down to Jedi dogma.

Even when Anakin told Palpatine he was going to turn him in to the council, the Chancellor simply took it in stride. Two powerful forces had pulled at Anakin: his loyalty to the Jedi and his love for his wife. He'd been so torn that he'd barely made it to the temple to report what had happened. Although he'd been told to stay behind, Anakin deliberately disobeyed Mace Windu's orders and had left for Chancellor Palpatine's office. He'd flown over with not the slightest idea of what he'd do once he'd gotten there, but he'd known that if he hadn't tried something, Palpatine would have died – and with him, the knowledge he still needed for Padme.

He'd barely remembered what he'd said to make Master Windu spare the Chancellor, but what Anakin had vividly remembered, to his alarm, was that of his hand firmly gripping his own lightsaber, his thumb just beginning to press the activation switch.

Now, they were all back at the Temple, with Palpatine incarcerated and probably being questioned at this very moment.All I've done, thought Anakin as he walked around the chamber, was buy some time. The question, however, remained: What could he do now? More importantly, what did he _want_ to do? A small part of him felt stung by who Palpatine truly was. But a larger, far more vocal part could see that the Chancellor made sense when he'd discussed such things as the differences between the Jedi and the Sith, his abilities and even the reasoning why the council wouldn't make him a Master.

Anakin's lip curled slightly at that last thought. It was here, in the very center of the council chamber, where he'd felt so humiliated at being allowed a seat on the council…and yet denied the title that went with it.

_"They don't trust you, Anakin. They see your future, they know your power will be too strong to control."_

Palpatine had said that to him. After everything Anakin had done, after all the battles he faced (and won!), he thought he earned at least some measure of trust from the Jedi Council. But no, the council never did have confidence in him, did they? If they did, it was only because Master Kenobi was always close by, keeping an eye on him.

That was why he'd been denied the rank of Master: they wanted to keep in his place. They even had the nerve to add insult to injury by having Ob-Wan give him the assignment of spying on the Chancellor. All because the Jedi Council had been nervous about the amount of executive power in the man's hands – power needed to win the war. He'd even called it treason and Obi-Wan had replied that it was war. Very well, then…but weren't they all supposed to be on the same side?

A remembered conversation with Master Windu, just after he'd been told about the Chancellor, came unexpectedly to mind, and a single line made Anakin's face red with disgust:

_"If what you say is true, you will have gained my trust."_

It's one thing to _feel_ like you're not trusted, but quite another to be _told_ so. After Anakin had come to him with the information that the entire Jedi Order had been searching thirteen years for, he'd been given final confirmation on how they all really felt about him.

His mechanical hand tightened until the servomotors began to whine. Anakin snorted in contempt. It all came down to trust: his growing powers were a 'cause for concern', and the Chancellor made the council uneasy simply because he'd been given powers by the Senate itself.

From his point of view, it now looked like he and the Chancellor were on one side and the Jedi were in the other.

Now_ you are beginning to understand, son._

Anakin's grip opened slightly in surprise. He looked around him, but all he could see was the chamber with the omnipresent traffic outside. "Chancellor?" he asked tentatively

_Yes. You have come to a crossroads all on your own, my boy. As I said before – you must choose._

"Why?" Anakin asked, slightly confused. "What's going to happen?"

_Eventually, even with the arguments you've given them, the Jedi will still be forced to kill me, Anakin. Everything that I know will be lost. You must choose, my boy: the Jedi or myself._

Anakin walked over and slid back into his chair. "I – I'm not sure what I can do."

_Let me make it simpler for you then, Anakin: It is either the Jedi…or Padme._

Anakin's blood ran cold, but he couldn't say anything. The 'presence' abruptly left just as the main doors to the council chamber parted. A cold feeling of dread spread in the pit of Anakin's stomach as Master Mace Windu marched in

The older Jedi strode over and towered above the seated Anakin, who kept his eyes firmly fixed on the ground.

"Anakin," Mace said simply. The young man said nothing. Master Windu put his hands to his hips and sighed. "Anakin," he started again, "I am going to give you one chance to explain yourself. I could've killed Palpatine, but I chose instead to listen to you." At these words, Anakin slowly looked up to face Windu.

"Thank you," he said neutrally.

"Don't thank me, Anakin," Mace said quietly. "The very fact that a Sith Lord exists and is _still_ living is a cause for alarm." Mace crossed his arms over his chest. "What I want to know is why did I spare him?"

Anakin blinked. "Master…you said yourself…it's not the Jedi way – "

"No, Anakin," Master Windu interrupted. "It took me some time to remember what Palpatine said, especially after his last attack on. But now I remember him saying something about, 'having the power to save the one you love.' Who, Anakin? To whom was Palpatine referring?"

Anakin looked back down at the intricate pattern on the council floor. This was the one question he'd been dreading for so long. He chewed his lip but still could not bring himself to speak. Mace's lips pressed as he regarded the reticent man before him.

"Anakin…if it's so important that even someone such as Palpatine can distract you with it, then perhaps there's something we can help you with?"

For an insane moment, Anakin found that line so funny and yet so ironic that he almost wanted to laugh. _Now_ you offer me help, Master Windu? He felt so weary from the entire charade that he and Padme had kept up these past few years. At worst, his confession would mean expulsion from the Order and at best…well, there really was no 'at best', not in his situation.

Keeping his eyes still on the floor, Anakin took a deep breath…and spoke.

Master Windu really would never have guessed what had distressed the young Jedi before him. It was never in his character to make guesses, only to gather as much of the facts as possible. Nevertheless, as the facts of Skywalker's tale finally came to light, even he couldn't suppress a feeling of growing astonishment as he listened.

Mace's eyes widened as he listened to how Skywalker had, three years ago, received a vision of his mother's pain and how he'd disobeyed council orders to try and save her on Tatooine. His brow furrowed crossly as he heard of the secret marriage that had taken place between Anakin and Senator Amidala just as the Clones Wars exploded across the galaxy. He then sat heavily in a nearby seat, his hand to his brow as he then listened of the growing child that Amidala now carried. Mace's head then snapped up when he'd heard of Anakin's new visions and how Palpatine had promised power to even stave off death.

When Anakin finished, when he finally unburdened himself of all that he'd kept secret for so many years…he was loathed to admit it, but he actually felt better about getting it off his chest.

Mace Windu, however, could only close his eyes and shake his head. With everything he now had to contend with…_this_ had to be dropped on to his lap with the weight of a dead bantha.

Situations such as this called almost certainly called for expulsion from the Order, and at any other time, Mace would have demanded Skywalker's lightsaber right then and there. But these weren't ordinary situations – they were at war (albeit in its final vestiges), and factors such as public opinion were too powerful to ignore. Anakin Skywalker had become the unofficial poster boy for the Jedi Order, much to the chagrin of many of its members. Whenever a task or battle might have proven impossible, Skywalker and Kenobi were sent to get the job done. And while someone as humble as Obi-Wan shied away from the spotlight, Anakin took it all in, almost as if it was his due.

Mace almost pitied the young Jedi. Obviously, The Chancellor had tried to confuse the young man, tried to distract him. There was still something that nagged at Mace's mind: what had Palpatine hoped to accomplish? Was the Sith Lord trying to stop the Chosen One from fulfilling the prophecy? If so, in one respect he'd succeeded since Mace had allowed Anakin to show mercy at the most inopportune moment. Something still didn't feel right, though. Mace would have to pay the Chancellor one more visit and find out just what _was_ his interest in Anakin. His thoughts were cut short when he realized Skywalker was trying to talk to him.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said," repeated Anakin, "now do you understand why I need Palpatine alive?"

Mace's initially pity of the man took a sharp downward turn towards exasperation. Although noble, the man's sentiments were clearly misguided.

"Anakin," Mace said quietly, yet firmly. "You have to understand that with all the promises and all the guarantees that Palpatine may have made to you, there's still one fact that overshadows all of that: he's still a Sith Lord. If history is any judge, then he uses people to his own whims." Windu looked deep into Anakin's eyes. "No one…_no one_…has the power to deny death. The very idea is an affront to everything we know and understand about the Force."

Anakin shook his head. "I…I can't believe that," he said with stubborn conviction.

"If such a power existed, then at what cost could it be used?" Mace replied with some heat. "Nothing in the universe can be gotten for free, Anakin. Look at the man who claims to have such an ability: this entire war has been about the revenge of the Sith! Who knows what Palpatine hoped to transform the Republic into if he had his way?"

"Well, then maybe it needs to be transformed," Anakin muttered through clenched teeth. At Master Windu's look of surprise, he said, "Master, you've been a Jedi longer than I – you've seen more than I have. Can you deny the corruption, the sheer inefficiency inherent in the Senate? Palpatine has done more for the Republic than the Senate could ever hope to accomplish."

"We are Jedi, Anakin," Mace said, a hint of steel in his voice. "As defenders of the peace, it is our duty to protect the Senate and the Republic from any menace. It is _not_, however, the mandate of our Order to set policy."

"I noticed that didn't stop you from almost assassinating the Chancellor," Anakin replied quietly.

"That was different."

"From your perspective, perhaps."

Mace sighed heavily and just shook his head at the young man. It was apparent to the Jedi Master that Skywalker was, at the moment, incapable of listening to reason. They've all been through a lot, so perhaps Anakin just needed more time to reflect. Mace, on the other hand, had several things to attend to. Without another word, he rose and walked towards the exit.

"What about Padme?" Anakin called out as he stood up from his seat, his eyes boring into the Jedi Master's back.

Mace paused at the entrance, his back to the young man. A moment passed before he looked over his shoulder and said, "The future is always in motion, Anakin. Having visions doesn't always mean they will happen. They either don't occur at all, or they have a nasty habit of being self-fulfilling. I honestly do not know what else to say. And before you ask – no, you are not to speak to Palpatine under any circumstances." Mace's face softened just a little as he caught the look of defeat in the other's eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it and simply said, "I'm sorry."

With that, the Jedi Master turned and left the council chambers, the door closing behind him.

Anakin stared at the spot where Master Windu stood moments before. For some time, he didn't say a word, his face betraying nothing of the thoughts flashing through his mind. The massive statues outside the entrance to the Temple had more humanity than the young Jedi.

Finally, Anakin felt something akin to a fatherly hand on his shoulder. Eyes narrowing, he tilted his head as if listening to something far off in the distance. Several minutes passed before finally nodding once. He turned and regarded the Jedi Council chamber one last time, his eyes lingering on the seat where Obi-Wan sat.

Then, with all traces of indecision wiped from his face, Anakin resolutely walked out of the chamber, not once looking back.

**--**

Mace Windu stood beside Cin Drallig as the two of them watched a Jedi communications officer try yet again to make contact with Yoda on Kashyyyk. The young woman finally shook her head in disgust and took off her headset.

"I'm sorry, Masters. I just can't seem to get a signal through to Master Yoda or to his clone troops."

"Are you sure it's not the Separatists?" Master Drallig asked.

The woman shook her head. "Clone intelligence was able to obtain the latest Separatist encryption codes. Even if jamming was occurring, I should at least be getting an acknowledgement from the main comm satellite that has a secure link to the Holonet."

"The Separatist fleet did a lot of damage on their way here," Mace said. "Is it possible they took out the satellite?"

"No, master," the woman said with authority. "The satellite has three redundant backups." The comm. officer frowned. "If I didn't know better, it's almost as if the satellite network was rejecting our authorization codes."

Mace frowned at this. He almost asked the officer to try another, less secure network when his eyes wandered outside the main window overlooking that bustling world-city that was Coruscant. His frown deepened at what he saw out there…or, more to the point, what he _didn't_ see.

Cin Drallig caught the look in his fellow master's eye. "Mace?"

Master Windu didn't answer but walked out of the communications room to a terrace overlooking the main building that was the Temple. Coruscant was a world that never slept. Even when the sun set, endless lanes of repulsorcraft looked like bioluminescent insects as they traveled here and there across almost every part of the world-girding city. There was no place, especially near the main capital city, where you couldn't look out and not see the ubiquitous craft flying.

Mace looked out from the center spire of the Temple and beheld a night completely devoid of any traffic. Master Drallig walked out as well and gasped at the unearthly site. For miles in every direction no traffic flowed across or over the complex. The longhaired sword master was about to ask Mace what was going on when the very foundation of the Temple began to shake. The comm. officer, still at her station, went pale in the face when she caught something on one of her screens.

The shaking grew in intensity until both masters had to grip on to the railing with both hands lest they slip and fall to the ground. When the rumbling got so powerful, Mace, gritting his teeth, looked up and did a double take as something wedge-shaped and massive started to pass right over the main spire of the temple. A huge ventral docking bay could be seen filled with Republic assault craft. On a signal, dozens of Republic assault gunships, accompanied by protective screens ARC-170 fighters flew out and started to orbit the airspace around the temple.

When the ships left, the massive Republic Star Destroyer finally passed over and past the ancient, hallowed grounds of the Jedi Order, it's mammoth sublight engines bringing a false dawn to the area. Mace and Drallig both squinted. When his eyes readjusted to the glare, Windu caught sight of even more craft disembarking. Several squadrons broke away and landed at equidistant points several kilometers from the Temple. Dropships landed and left behind their lumbering cargo of armored walkers. Even more ships landed nearby dropping off hundreds – no, _thousands_, thought Mace – of clone troops. Squads and battalions everywhere set up positions around the Jedi Temple, with even more reinforcements still enroute.

The business end of every single weapon, from turbolaser to projectile cannon to missile…was now pointed at this refuge of the Jedi.

Off in the horizon, the sun finally cracked through towards first light to reveal more fighters diverting traffic some distance away, creating a corridor that none could fly either in or out.

Mace glanced at Drallig, who looked grimly back at t him.

Windu hated to say it and would never have openly admitted it, but he slowly began to get a sudden, uncomfortable, distressing and overwhelmingly _bad feeling_ about this….

**-Continued-**


End file.

Star Wars, Drama